VIVA 2 (Skyscraper Museum)

With VIVA2, Historicus, Inc. created an interactive interface in which a series of complex animated views of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center were combined with relevant items from the Skyscraper Museum image archive. Features in the module include: timelines showing images from different stages of construction, the ability to sort for images relevant to certain areas of each building, and a set of subject headings and subcategories that allow images to be grouped together in highly flexible ways. The interface was programmed in Flash MX 2004 (and later, Flash 8) and is driven by a mySQL database that allows for hassle-free updating of information. Because VIVA2 uses static XML, end users are able to conduct database searches, retrieve images, and print and e-mail using only local resources. That means VIVA2 can be placed on a CD-ROM, a USB memory stick, an iPod, or any sufficiently large storage device. It does not require a connection to the Internet (though it does contain links to other websites for additional information) and can thus be used in a safe and flexible way in the classroom, on scholar’s desktops, or in standalone kiosks. Visit the project at www.skyscraper.org. (There, you can also see VIVA, a project we completed in 2001.)